A highway truck typically has a cab that is high enough off the ground to require one or more steps for enabling a person to climb into and out of the cab through an open side door of the cab. An example of such steps comprises one or more steps that are mounted on a cylindrical fuel tank that is mounted on a chassis frame of the truck below the side door.
The inventors have discovered through various means, including interviews with professional truckers, that for various reasons, the steps in certain trucks are considered by a significant number of truckers to be difficult or inconvenient to use.
In general it is not possible for a person to climb truck steps as if they were part of a home or building staircase because of the large rise from ground level to cab floor level that occurs over a short horizontal distance, i.e. large rise angle.
A person climbing truck steps may be required to exert significant strength over extended and/or uncustomary ranges of body motion because the climbing motion is sometimes more like climbing a ladder than a set of stairs. For example, the process may require a person to pivot his/her body under awkward conditions. One or more handgrips can be used as climbing aids, but for various reasons they may be absent or if present, they may not be at optimal locations. In general, difficulty in climbing truck steps increases with a person's age. Older persons may have balance problems and also greater difficulty in seeing the steps, especially under low ambient light. Slips and falls are unfortunately always a risk when anyone climbs or descends any stairs.
The steps of a large truck are themselves constantly exposed to the elements. The effects of weather, i.e., ice, snow, etc., are also a factor in climbing and descending steps.
Consequently, it is believed that improvements that would facilitate a person's ingress to and egress from a highway truck are desirable.